A Hong Kong seminary professor encouraged believers to receive the Holy Spirit's provision as living water in a recent retreat.
On Tuesday morning, Dr. Maureen Yeung Marshall, professor emerita of biblical studies and fifth president of Evangel Seminary in Hong Kong, as well as the founder and director of the Christian International Training Centre in Edinburgh, delivered a sermon titled "Walking with the Holy One (Isaiah in the New Testament) II" as part of a series on Isaiah.
Under the theme "Holiness, Flame, Inheritance," the ninth Chinese Bible Conference (CHBC) takes place in Hong Kong from March 3 to 7, offering both online and in-person sessions. Since 2017, CHBC have been held in Mandarin on the first Monday to Friday of March each year, featuring three daily sermons by three speakers.
Alongside Dr. Marshall, the five-day conference also features other two keynote speakers: Rev. Keith Lai, senior pastor of the Evangelical Free Church of China Yan Fook Church, preaching on Haggai and Zechariah, and Rev. Dr. Tsukung Chuang, who holds a PhD in Intercultural Studies from Trinity International University, expounding on Acts.
On the second day, Dr. Yeung began her sermon by posing a question to the attendees: "After believing in Jesus, what do you consider the greatest blessing?" She then provided the answer, "The greatest blessing after accepting Jesus is receiving the Holy Spirit."
Yeung then emphasized that the Holy Spirit was promised by the Most Holy One, referencing John 7:37–39, where Jesus, on the final day of the Feast of Tabernacles, declared that those who believed in Him would receive rivers of living water. Although the exact passage was not specified, Yeung linked this promise to Isaiah 44:1-4, analyzing God’s assurance that the Holy Spirit would be a source of sustenance like living water. She illustrated this concept by sharing her own struggle with thirst due to diabetes, describing moments when she could not drink water in time. Through this analogy and images reflecting Isaiah 58:11, she reinforced how receiving the Holy Spirit brings fulfillment and strength to contemporary Christians.
Yeung stressed that holiness is a prerequisite for experiencing the Holy Spirit, asserting that addressing sin is inseparable from obtaining the Spirit. She explored this idea from both objective and subjective perspectives.
First, she explained that Christ objectively redeemed humanity’s sins, making believers holy. Based on John 7:39, "Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified," Yeung analyzed Christ's crucifixion and resurrection as the moment of his glorification and the foundation for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Without the redemption of the cross, she emphasized, the Holy Spirit could not dwell within believers. She further explained hat through Jesus' sacrifice, Christians are made holy and can fully experience the Spirit. Citing Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, she reassured the congregation: "Every believer has received the Holy Spirit—not half of it, not one-third, but in full. Because Jesus has been glorified, he has objectively accomplished salvation for you and me."
Yeung then turned to the second aspect, explaining that believers experience holiness subjectively through obedience to the Holy Spirit. She noted that this obedience is demonstrated in three key ways.
The first way is to obey the Holy Spirit in addressing sin. Yeung acknowledged that many believers feel powerless to overcome sin and struggle to meet God's requirements even after coming to faith. She guided the congregation to find a solution in Paul's teaching from Romans 7:6, which emphasizes the need for believers to be freed from the law and to serve the Lord in the new way of the Holy Spirit rather than relying on their own strength. Yeung encouraged the congregation to surrender and allow the Holy Spirit to transform them instead of striving through their own efforts.
To illustrate, Yeung shared the struggle of a woman unable to forgive her mother, emphasizing that true forgiveness cannot be achieved by human effort alone. She then shared her personal experience of learning to forgive, emphasizing that believers must allow the Holy Spirit to take control of their hearts to forgive authentically.
She also addressed how the Holy Spirit empowers believers to face suffering. Analyzing the relationship between suffering and faith, she noted that some Christians mistakenly believe that suffering contradicts Jesus' resurrection power. She recounted a friend's misguided belief who held that his wife's cancer was a punishment for sin. Refuting this notion, she cited Romans 8:20–23 and 26–28, explaining that suffering persists because creation itself awaits final redemption.
Yeung emphasized that the Holy Spirit provides comfort, interceding for believers in their struggles and offering strength to endure. She shared the testimony of a young woman whose life had been smooth until she turned 25, when she felt an overwhelming emptiness and vowed to live for the Lord. A year later, she fell ill and spent nine months hospitalized, undergoing multiple treatments. Yet, rather than complaining, she deepened her faith, learned spiritual lessons, and relied on the Holy Spirit’s strength to persevere.
Next, Yeung explored the third aspect of obedience to the Holy Spirit—unity in the Lord. Citing John 14:16 and 18-20, she emphasized that God has given the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, to be with believers forever. "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are united with all of us disciples. We are in the Triune God, and the Triune God is in us," she explained.
Referencing John 14:10-14, she unpacked Jesus' statement that those who believe in Him will do greater works. Yeung interpreted "greater works" as the spread of the gospel to more distant places to influence future generations and pass it on from one generation to the next because Christians have become one with the Triune God.
Yeung then recounted a pivotal moment in the ministry of renowned missionary to China, Hudson Taylor. When he felt weary, he received a letter from a friend that opened his spiritual eyes, revealing the reality of his oneness with Christ. This realization renewed his strength, enabling him to continue his mission. The Holy Spirit also prepared his heart to endure personal loss, and the China Inland Mission he founded grew into an international organization.
Yeung concluded with a powerful message, "The secret to the Christian life and service is to draw on the living water of the Holy Spirit." She urged believers to recognize their own shortcomings and allow themselves to be nourished by the Spirit. This endless supply of living water, she affirmed, not only sustains believers but can also become a source to quench the thirst of others.
